Review: Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd Generation)

     Are you tired of wasting money due to your old thermostat?  If you are ready to make the move to a more sustainable solution to your home thermostat, the Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd Generation) may be for you.  Since its launch a few years ago, the Nest Learning Thermostat has become a leader in home energy management.  The Nest is an innovative, aesthetically appealing, and highly functional system designed to control your home's temperature, while reducing unnecessary heating and cooling.  By learning the homeowner's personal preferences, the system can shut off or on to minimizes costs to your electric bill, while simultaneously conserving energy and protecting the planet.

     The Nest Learning Thermostat stands alone in the home energy industry by revolutionizing the emerging market for smart thermostats.  Approximately half of your home's energy consumption is controlled through your thermostat, of which 89% of thermostats waste energy, on average $173 a year worth of energy.  Nest eliminates much of this concern by learning your heating and cooling preferences.  After about a week, the thermostat will begin to formulate a schedule based on when you leave for work, arrive home, desire a warmer house upon waking up, and any other preferences you may have.  Thus, the thermostat prevents wasted energy when you are not around, resulting in as much as a 20% reduction on your heating and cooling bill.  In addition, the Nest Learning Thermostat allows you to tell the system what type of heating system you have, unlike many traditional systems that are merely set for forced-air systems (ex: True Radiant, Heat Pump, etc.).  The system will even remind you when it's time to change your heating/cooling filters, potentially saving an extra 5% on your bills.

    Whether at home or work, you can control the temperature, should you desire, from any location via the Nest mobile application.  All you need to do to control your Nest Learning Thermostat from your phone, tablet, or computer, is to connect the system to your Wi-Fi.  Thus, if you decide that you want your home warmer than your typical setting, changing the temperature is easily achieved via your mobile device.  Nest also provides an Energy History report so that you can see when you are using the most energy, which will help you to make further reductions to reduce your monthly electricity bill and protect the planet. Other unique features such as Early-On, begin heating or cooling early so that when you wake up, for example, the temperature is at the desired setting, rather than first beginning to heat or cool.  The auto-schedule setting allows Nest to remember the temperatures you like and programs itself, while the auto-away setting saves energy by automatically turning down your system when you're away.

     As the market for smart technologies that promote a sustainable lifestyle continues to grow, Nest is certainly becoming a leader in the industry.  The Nest Learning Thermostat provides both tremendous functionality and savings, in addition to an excellent unique design that has made the product known as "the Apple version" of thermostats.  If Apple made a thermostat, it would likely look like the Nest (it turns out, Apple sells the Nest in their stores and online).  Perhaps that's because it is the work of former Apple and Google engineers!  It's round shape, varied colors based on temperature, and leafs to depict your savings, redefine the traditional thermostat.  While any technological product such as this may have occasional problems, Nest provides customer support over the phone and the product is very easy to install on your own, in just a few minutes time.  According to Nest, three out of four customers install their product in 30 minutes or less.  Despite the initial cost which may seem somewhat steep, the system will likely pay for itself over a short period of time and provide a positive value to the owners' pocketbook and the environment.

Check out the innovative Nest Learning Thermostat at Amazon.